There's No Where Like Home for the Holidays
by LitLover 101
Summary: A gift for Rune Saint. Seventeen-year-old Damon Salvatore has big plans for this Christmas, but they are ruined when a snow storm arrives. Add in ten-year-old Stefan's besties: Caroline, Klaus, and a few more of their friends, to give Damon an unforgettable holiday experience. AU/AH All Human


A gift for Rune Saint. Seventeen-year-old Damon Salvatore has big plans for this Christmas but they ruined when a snow storm arrives. Add in ten-year-old Stefan's besties, Caroline, Klaus, and a few more of their friends, to give Damon an unforgettable holiday experience.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **TVD**_ **that would be Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec, Warner Brothers and usual suspects.**

 **Hello, my lovely readers. This story is dedicated to Rune Saint, who give me clever ideas to work with.** **On with the show…**

 **There's Nowhere Like Home for the Holidays:**

White flakes fell, decorating the window of Damon Salvatore's bedroom, but seventeen-year-old Damon's concern lie in his outfit for the night. He and his friends had been planning an epic party, at The Falls, for months now. Most of the parents of his friends were either going out-of-town or they would be consumed by their duties toward their younger children.

Damon felt blessed to have a little brother, to take up his folks' attention tonight. Smirking in the mirror at his own reflection, Damon made minor adjustments to his hair and grinned. Yes, tonight would be special. He and Rose Marie were going to sneak off and have some private time.

"Damon, whatcha doin'?" Ten-year-old Stefan Salvatore cried, entering Damon's bedroom, without permission. Years ago, Damon tried to curb his younger brother of the habit of barging into Damon's personal space. However, Stefan did not heed yelling or threats of what Damon would do to Stefan's pet rabbit, Waldo.

"Where's Waldo, Stef?" Damon replied, popping another button on his black shirt open. Rose would enjoy the view and Damon would have his black leather jacket to keep him warm, and Rose, of course.

Stefan shrugged. "Hiding. Probably." He did not seem all that concerned for his prized pet.

Damon eyed Stefan. He could always tell when the kid was up to something. "Stefan –" He began when a soft tap on his doorframe alerted him to more company. "Hey, mom."

"Damon," Lily Salvatore stood in the door, a white dress hugging her and she smiled just like an angel. Coming over to Damon, she buttoned his shirt, just like when he was Stefan's age and patted it. "Your father and I are going out, for a little trip. You don't mind watching Stefan until we return, do you?" Her eyes bore into Damon's. She really knew how to reel him in.

"Mom…" Damon glanced at Stefan who sat on Damon's bed, swinging his legs back and forth. The picture of innocence. Just like Lucifer's Eyes finding his mother's, Damon exhaled. "You'll be back before seven?" He did not want to be late to the party. And Rose would kill him if he missed another date.

"Of course, darling." Lily kissed Damon's cheek before crossing the room and kneeling before Stefan. "You'll be good for me, Stefan, won't you?" Stefan offered their mother that smile that said he'd never do anything wrong. Ha!

"Good boy." Lily kissed Stefan's cheek and stood up. "We'll be back soon, children."

Damon bit back his retort: "I'm not a child." Instead, he watched his mother exit his room. "Right. Looks like it's just you and me, Stef," Damon said. "What do you want to do?"

"Make cookies," Stefan said.

It was a reasonable request. After all, it was Christmas Eve. "Cool." Damon followed Stefan out of the bedroom and down the hallway, to the stairs, through the entryway, around a corner, down another hall and into the kitchen. "Let's see. We need milk, flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, salt and that hard sugar you like so much on top."

Stefan nodded. "I'll help." He grabbed a stool from the breakfast bar and pushed up against the counter. Damon moved closer. If Stef fell, his parents would kill him. And a trip to the hospital would decrease Damon's chances of getting to the party, on time.

Stefan pulled down the salt, baking powder, sugar and hard sugar. "Huh? Where do you think the flour is?" he inquired.

"Probably around here, somewhere." Damon pulled out his phone as Stefan slid off the stool, to the safety of the floor, not a single hair out of place. Opening a new text, Damon grinned at Rose in a pretty red dress that showed off all of her curves. "See you soon. R. xoxo."

Shaking his head, Damon pocketed his phone and began opening cabinet doors. He knew his mother would not leave them in a house without flour, on a holiday. She was big on baking. And Damon was not in the mood to tackle the local store, today, of all days.

As if someone knew he had other things to be doing, the doorbell rang. Damon turned to Stefan. "Sorry, Stef, got to get that."

"What about that one?" Stefan pointed at one more door. "Just try it. Real quick. It's probably just carolers."

"Today?" Damon shook his head but he pulled the door open anyway. Out sprang a white rabbit. It let out an annoyed sound and bounced off Damon's head, onto the counter and down to the floor. "Stefan, I'm going to kill you!" Damon shouted as the target of his new-found aggression took off.

"You've got to get the door, Damon!" Stefan taunted Damon who grimaced and moved to the entryway.

"Hi!" a voice cried when Damon opened the door. Glancing downward, Damon glowered. "Is Stefan home?" A beaming Caroline Forbes batted her eyelashes at him. That might work if he were also ten.

"Go away. Stefan died," Damon snapped, moving to close the door.

"No. He didn't. Where are you, mate?" Klaus frikin' Mikaelson, Stefan's best friend and the reason Damon had broken his wrist last summer called.

"Nik! Care!" Stefan shouted, racing into the area.

Damon grabbed Stefan by the back of his shirt and lifted him so they were face-to-face. "Did you invite these," he pointed at Caroline and Klaus, "over here?"

Shrugging, Stefan offered Damon the angelic smile. "If you're mean to me, I'll tell mom."

"Ugh!" Damon set Stefan down and glowered at Caroline and Klaus. "I'm making cookies. If you don't make my life a living hell, I'll give you some and you can watch a horror movie."

"Horror movie?" Caroline looked aghast. "On Christmas Eve?" If her eyes grew wider, they would fall out of their sockets.

"Call it an early Christmas present," Damon retorted.

Stefan turned to his friends. "We can watch _Krampus_!"

"That movie is so gross." Caroline wrinkled her little nose. "I want to watch _It's_ _a_ _Wonderful_ _Life_." She folded her arms over her little chest. Her jaw was tight and Damon looked at Stefan and Klaus. God help them when she became a teenager.

"It's my house!" Stefan retorted, folding his own arms over his chest. "And Nik wants to watch it, too."

"Damon!" Caroline looked at Damon. " _Krampus_ is gross, right?" She watched Damon carefully. Damon felt like she was using him as a test dummy, to see how well she would impose her will on an older boy and then use the same technique on boys her own age.

Rolling his eyes, Damon began to shut the door when more cries from outside could be heard. "Wait for us!"

"Oh, no!" Damon tried to shut the door on the two little girls who were running toward the door like little freight trains. "No!" Damon moaned when Bonnie Bennett wedged herself in between the door and the frame. "Go away!" Damon cried.

Bonnie looked back at him with green eyes that would one day devastate some poor boy. "Hi, Damon!" she greeted him before using the entirety of her eighty-five pounds to push the door open wide enough for Elena Gilbert to enter.

"Damon!" Elena squealed, throwing her arms around his legs and burying her face in his stomach. "Hi!" Her crush him had been cute until Damon realized he'd come home one day and she'd be a grown woman with those doe eyes and he'd want to kill any guy who got the pleasure of her company.

"Hi there." Damon nodded before pushing her away, as gently as he could and turning his back on the girl. He walked back to the kitchen, Stefan and his minions in tow. "I'm making cookies," he called to the newcomers.

"Can I help?" Elena asked.

"No!" Damon snapped. He heard a little whimper and turned to see Elena's eyes welling up. "Or... Yeah. Okay."

"Wimp," Klaus muttered, loudly. "Where's the rabbit, Stefan?"

"Don't know," Stefan replied.

"Stefan!" Damon snapped. He shook his head at Stefan who just offered him a blank look. "I'm going to kill you. You do know that?"

Caroline's eyes widened before she began to laugh. "Oh, Damon, you're so funny? Isn't he so funny, Bonnie?"

Bonnie looked at Caroline like Caroline had lost her mind. "Caroline…"

"Is there any music you'd like to play for us, Damon?" Caroline asked and Damon eyed her as she smiled up at him. Could she not wait for a couple of years to start this crap?

"No." Damon shook his head. Going to the fridge, he opened it and Waldo emerged, shivering and leapt into Damon's arms. "Stefan! Damn it!"

"You're not supposed to curse in front of children!" Bonnie protested.

Turning to glower at Bonnie, Damon held the poor bunny. "You know what we're also not supposed to do to kids? Hang them from their toes as they beg for mercy and we tickle them till they promise to behave. How would you like that, Bon Bon?"

Bonnie gulped. "I think I'd like to watch a movie instead…sir."

" _Krampus_!" Stefan thundered.

"No!" Caroline cried. " _It's_ _a_ _Wonderful_ _Life_! Elena. Bonnie. Vote with me."

"I think we should watch whatever Damon wants to watch," Elena replied, fluttering her eyelashes at him. Yaaaa! Not good.

"I think that Damon wants everyone to go in the living room, and find a DVD, and to watch it, quietly, while Damon makes cookies," Damon replied.

"Okay." Stefan seemed to deflate and waved a hand. "Come on, guys."

Sighing in relief, Damon handed Elena the bunny. "Guard him with your life," he told her.

"I will," Elena replied solemnly.

Damon patted Elena's head. "Good girl."

Turning her eyes up to him, Elena gave Damon such a look of fury he thought he should be melting from the heat. Without another word, the girl strode out of the kitchen.

Shaking his head, Damon glanced back at the clock on the microwave. He only had seven more hours of this. He could survive seven more hours. He returned his attention to the task of making a classic Christmas treat.

~0~

An hour later, Damon the landline rang and Damon scooped up the receiver to answer it. "Hello?"

"Damon. It's Ric," Alaric Saltzman, Damon's best friend called into the phone. "You ready for tonight?"

"You better believe it." Damon popped a piece of cookie into his mouth. Just like Momma makes them, he thought with a grin.

Ric chuckled. "Jenna's over at Rose's, getting ready. And I'm thinking about sneaking over there and scaring them. You want to come?"

"I can't," Damon said, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Too busy with Satan and his acolytes.

"Really?" Ric sounded as disappointed as Damon felt.

"Rain check?" Damon replied with a grin.

A click at the other end of the phone and giggling made Damon grit his teeth. "Get off the phone, Stef!" he shouted.

"Stef? Who is Stef?" a voice replied and Damon closed his eyes. He was going to kill his little brother. "Tyler Lockwood, get off my damned phone! And who let you in my house!"

"Waldo!" Stefan shouted back and then began to laugh.

"Ste-fan!" Damon bellowed. "I'm going to find you!" Taking a breath, Damon added. "Sorry. Ric. See ya soon."

"Not likely," Klaus added with a chuckle.

"You little…" Damon was going to walk each of his brother's so-called friends back to their homes and dump then off at their parent's doorsteps. Hanging up, Damon left the kitchen and made his way to the living room. No Stefan. No other kids in sight. Growling, Damon ran up the stairs and then he heard a series of giggles and laughter coming from… Oh, they wouldn't dare!

Stalking down the hallway, Damon found his brother and his little friends in Damon's room.

"Hey, I'm Damon. And I think I'm the shit!" Tyler Lockwood proclaimed, strutting around in Damon's clothes and his extra boots. I've got so many girlfriends that Miss Mystic Falls needs to look for a contestant from out-of-town because after he dumped them, they ran away."

"Lockwood! What the hell are you doing in my clothes?" Damon shouted.

Tyler stopped in mid-strut and froze. "Oh, shit!"

More laughter came from under the bed and Damon found Stefan and Klaus looking at the magazines his mom did not know he had because they had been locked up in a box.

"Get out of there!" Damon shouted, grabbing Stefan by his arm and tugging him out from under the bed. "I'm going to give your cookies to kids who aren't such little brats."

"Damon, do I look pretty?" Elena called and she came into the room. She was swallowed by his mother's wedding gown, some of her favorite jewelry hung off Elena and she had way too much makeup on.

"No!" Damon snapped.

Elena's mouth opened and she let out a wail before she ran out of the room.

"Why'd you make her cry?" Matt Donovan demanded, moving to stand in front of Damon. The blonde haired boy looked like he might try to punch Damon. "She didn't do anything wrong!"

"She's in my mother's wedding dress," Damon snapped at Matt.

"So?" Matt looked unimpressed.

Giving up, Damon exited his room and went into his parent's room. Caroline and Bonnie were trying on his mother's scarves and Caroline had used up most of her lipsticks. "You made Elena cry," Caroline pointed out. "And _Krampus_ is gross. And where are our cookies?"

Damon held back a snarl. "Where is Elena?"

"In the bathroom," Bonnie pointed at the bathroom.

Damon went over and knocked on the door. "Lena, can we talk?"

"No!" Elena cried out.

"Damon, what is this?" Stefan came over and held up a Playboy for Damon to look at.

Damon blinked at the image. "Geez, Stef. Can you just pretend to not have seen that? Please? Mom will kill me if she knows I have that, here."

"But what is it?" Stefan asked, still looking at the picture, turning it upside down and examining it.

"That's where babies come from," Caroline told Stefan, coming over to look. Klaus joined them. "Only I don't think that you're supposed to have that. My mom said they're for adults."

Damon frowned. "And you were looking at one?"

Caroline shrugged. "You think you're the only boy who lives in a house where I play?" She gave Damon a "Are you stupid?" look. "I want a cookie."

"Great." Damon snatched the magazine from Stefan. "R-rated movies, dirty magazines, crying girls locked on the bathroom. Could this get worse?"

"The news says we're having a winter storm!" some kid Damon did not know called.

"What is this: an orphanage?" Damon demanded. "Who are you?"

"Lorenzo St. John. My parents just moved to town," Lorenzo told Damon. "But I'm the least of your worries, mate. No one is going anywhere tonight."

"Elena, come on out here!" Damon called.

"NooooO!" Elena screamed back.

Wincing, Damon decided to try again, later. He needed to check the winter storm report. Going downstairs, Damon stared at the TV screen. "You're got to be kidding me!" he groaned, looking at the announcement that all roads were closed. Turning to look at the worried looks on the kid's faces; Damon slid to the floor. "I can't be trapped in here. Not tonight."

"It's okay, Damon. You're got me," Stefan said. "And Waldo." He placed the rabbit in Damon's arms who began to stroke the animal.

"Damon," a miserable voice called and Damon looked up to see Elena. She was crying heavily. "I ripped it." She held out his mother's wedding dress which looked like a shark had decided to take a bite from his mother's arm. The sleeve hanging on by a thread.

Yes. This was turning out to one of Damon's favorite Christmases ever.

~0~

Within the next half hour Damon's mother called. "Honey, I'm sorry. Your father and I won't be able to return until tomorrow."

Damon nodded, knowing his mother couldn't see him and not giving a damn. "Sure. Right. Um. I've got a little problem though…" His eyes traveled over the kids who sat on the floor and the couches. "Stefan' friends came over…"

"Oh?" Lily sounded puzzled and unsure. Damon tightened his grip on the phone. He'd been hoping his mother would have the answer to his dilemma. "Do the other parents know where they are? You don't want them traveling, if it can be helped."

Sighing, Damon wished he were at college already. "Okay. I'll call around, make sure they know where their spawn are at this hour."

"Damon," Lily's tone held an edge and Damon rolled his eyes. "They're children. Just…be careful with them. You remember how special Christmas used to be to you?"

With a quick nod, Damon jerked Stefan into a one-armed hug as his little brother went past him. "Say, 'Hi,' to mom."

"Hi, mom," Stefan cried into the phone. "Are you going to be home before we unwrap the gifts?"

"I'll try," Lily replied and Damon felt his heart ache. They'd never had a Christmas morning without their mother. "Be good for Damon."

"I will," Stef said before he slid from under Damon's arm. "I'm going to get my sled."

"You're not sledding today," Damon called after Stefan who had already disappeared up the stairs. "I've got to go, mom, before Stefan splits his head open like a cantaloupe. Love ya."

"I love you, too, Damon," Lily said and Damon hung up.

"You don't have to call my mom. She's at work," Caroline said, following Damon on his way to the staircase.

"Oh. That's nice," Damon said as he ran up the stairs. He caught Stefan pulling on his winter boots. "Stef, seriously, man, you're not going out there."

Stefan looked up at Damon, his chin thrust out. "You're not Father. I can go if I want to." Turning, Stefan moved toward his closet when Damon moved to block him.

Damon grabbed Stefan's shoulders. "Look, Stef, you've got your friends here. And Mom and Dad can't come home. I've got to call their parents and find something to feed you. So, can you, please, level with me? Huh? Just one day?"

Shoulders drooping, Stefan looked at the floor. "I'm bored, Damon."

"You and me both. But we can find ways to entertain ourselves. Like fixing mom's dress." Damon chuckled as Stefan gave him a look. "Yeah. I know."

Heaving a sigh, Stefan allowed Damon to lead him back downstairs. "I'm going to go into the kitchen. Do not break anything!" Damon warned the group of kids. They gave him innocent looks. Sure. Like he believed that.

Damon forced himself to go to the kitchen. He grabbed the phone book and the platter of cookies before he went back into the living room. Setting the platter down, Damon plopped down beside Stefan and turned on the TV. Thankfully, _Home_ _Alone_ was on.

The kids began to laugh while Damon went about the duty of reassuring worried parents that their kids were safe and sound, and as soon as he could, he would deliver them back to their homes.

That done, Damon had a few other things he had to do. He went into the kitchen and peered at the contents of the fridge. Not the Christmas ham. Or peanut butter sandwiches. Cheeseburgers, maybe?

"Hey, kids!" Damon called as they began to stream into the kitchen, probably because they were hungry. "Who wants cheeseburgers?"

"Aren't you Italian?" Caroline inquired.

"Um. Yeah." Damon wondered where this was going.

Caroline smiled. "Then I would like an Italian dish. Like…um…" She looked to Stefan for help.

Stefan gave Caroline a blank look then he grinned. "Risotto."

Damon pursed his lips. "Risotto? Do you even know what that is?"

Stefan shrugged. "Mom likes it."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Fine. If you don't like it, too bad, 'cause you're going to eat it. All of it."

"And ravioli," Matt added.

"And cannoli's," Lorenzo said. "My grandmother made the best cannoli."

"Anything else?" Damon snapped, widening his eyes at the group of fine-diners.

"Nope," Stefan retorted with a bright smile. "If you'll excuse us, we'll be in the dining room, awaiting service." They would never watch Master Chef again, if Damon could help it.

~0~

Two hours later, Damon had finished his work and brought out dishes to the kids. "This smells so good," Elena cried, sniffing her dish.

"It had better," Damon grumbled. "Stefan, get up and help me."

Stefan slid off his seat and walked beside his brother to the kitchen. He collected plates and carried them, with care, back to the dining room. It looked like Stefan would have no problem with having to work at the Mystic Grill to afford his own car.

~0~

Glancing at the clock, Damon realized that it was six-thirty and he was sitting on a couch, in the living room, with his mother's wedding dress sprawled across his lap. Stefan sat in front of Damon's laptop, offering Damon advice on how to repair the torn sleeve. Most of Stefan's friends were snoring away in a guest room.

"I've got to call Rose and tell her I'm going to miss the party," Damon said, getting to his feet.

"Why?" Stef asked.

Turning, Damon shook his head. "You have got a lot to learn about girls."

"I already texted her," Stef said, pulling Damon's cell out of Stefan's pocket.

Fury lit inside Damon and his fingers balled at his sides. "You did what?" he demanded, trying to keep his voice level.

"I told her you needed to take care of me, 'cause of the storm and you'll take her somewhere nice, to make up for tonight." Stefan watched Damon closely.

Exhaling, Damon found himself smiling. "Stef, you are a genius."

"I know," Stefan returned to the computer. "Okay, now you need to…"

~0~

Damon woke the next morning, the dress still on his lap. Stef laid next him, curled up in a ball, Waldo sitting beside his head and twitching his nose.

"Hey, buddy, time to wake up. It's Christmas day," Damon said, patting Stefan's back.

Stefan sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Are Mom and Dad home?"

"Nope," Damon shook his head. "I've got to get this back upstairs before they get here." He got to his feet and carried the dress back to his parent's room where he placed it back in the box Elena had found it in.

Leaving the bedroom, Damon woke the kids with taps on the doorframes. He went down to the kitchen and fixed them pancakes with the radio on. "Snow's coming down," he sang into a wooden spoon, spinning Elena with his free hand.

"Please come home!" Caroline and Bonnie belted out together, hugging each other.

Even Klaus was dancing around the kitchen.

Matt and Tyler were laughing about something, and Lorenzo, the new kid, was watching the snow through the window.

"Damon, can we go out after?" Stef cried, jumping into his brother's arms.

"I suppose," Damon said, setting a bowl of carrots down for Waldo. "Where is that rabbit now?"

Stef opened the fridge and Waldo was not there. Damon began to open cabinets. Nothing. Shaking his head, Damon left the kitchen to find Lily petting the rabbit. "Mom?"

"Hi, honey!" Lily said, holding out her arms for him.

Damon moved to hug his mom; he felt Stef barrel into him. Their father came in with bags of presents and more guests.

"Mom!" Caroline shouted, running to her mother.

Soon adults and children were reunited with tears and laughter.

"We're going out to play!" Stefan announced after presents were exchanged. He was the first one out the front door. Damon followed him and got the first snowball to the face. "You're going to pay for that, mister!" Damon grabbed a handful of snow, packed it tight, and chased Stefan down, burying the snowball in his little brother's hair.

"My turn!" Klaus called, smacking Caroline in the shoulder with a snow ball.

"Girls versus boys!" Caroline shouted. She, Bonnie and Elena ran to one side, gathering up snow.

"You need more girls," Jenna Sommers cried, coming to join them with Alaric. "And some people who have to play for your team because I said so." She tugged Alaric over to the girl's side.

"Hey, Ric! Come on, man!" Damon cried.

"Damon!" Stefan shouted when Damon got hit in the head with a snowball.

Elena began to laugh until Stefan tossed one at her. Then it was on. Damon was not sure where Rose was, but he was having too much fun to notice.

~0~

When the party broke up, Damon and Stefan went back to the house and Damon pulled out his phone. "I hope you have a Merry Christmas," Rose's text sounded like one you send most people you know. Damon searched his "out" box to find no out-going message to Rose.

"Hey, Stef, did you forget to hit "Send," when you sent that text, last night?" Damon asked his little brother.

Stefan turned to stare at Damon. "I wanted you here. With me."

"What?" Damon shook his head. "Why would you lie, Stef?"

Stefan kicked the snow. "You're always hanging out with your other friends. And all those girls. You're never with me. Never. And I wanted you to be there. You're my best friend, Damon."

Feeling like someone had kicked him; Damon knelt down. "I love you, Stef. More than anybody. Okay? Nothing's ever going to change that."

"But you're going to college next year," Stefan's eyes filled up. "And you're going leave me."

"Oh, Stef. You know what? I'll always be here on Christmas." Damon hugged Stefan close.

"Even if the roads are closed?" Stefan mumbled.

Damon nodded. "Even if I have to hitch a ride with Santa and his elves."

Stefan laughed. "There is no Santa."

Damon smirked. "But there are reindeer. And I'll steal one and ride him home just to see you."

"Okay," Stefan replied.

"Now, you want to have some fun?" Damon inquired, standing up.

"Yes," Stefan's smile turned wide and angelic.

"Let's put Waldo in dad's stocking and tell him he forgot a present in there," Damon smirked and Stefan chuckled. Yes, Damon would come home for every Christmas to be with Stef and all of poor Waldo's replacement bunnies. Maybe they should get Stef a dog, call him Lassie, for when Tyler got stuck in the well.

 **Have a happy season holiday!**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **J**


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